Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Middle of Nowhere ❯ Middle of Nowhere ( Chapter 1 )

Title: Middle of Nowhere

Summary: Time has no meaning and fate can be cheated when it comes to destiny.

Pairings: Kuronue/Botan, Youko/Keiko

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this fic, they belong to the creator of the anime Yu Yu Hakusho.

Prologue

The darkness seemed to surround her, she noted, as she opened her eyes for the first time. It closed in on her on all sides, effectively drawing inky shadows ever closer, while at the same time, chasing away any traces of friendly light.

It was so dark.... so intimidating... so frightening. Her eyes attempted to adjust to the lack of light and found it futile. Moving to sit up, she winced as the first signs that she was injured became apparent. The hard ground, upon which she lay, was cold and unforgiving, adding more discomfort to her already aching body. She groaned, since she couldn't rise fully, and instead curled onto her side in a fetal position. There was a slight trickle of something rolling down her left temple, and somehow, she knew what it was.

Blood. Her blood.

She was bleeding from a cut that she had mysteriously sustained along with whatever other injuries she had. She couldn't recall how she had come to be hurt, not even where she was. The last thing she remembered was the demons attacking, coming at the small group from all sides. The smooth sound of a katana being drawn. The quick crack of a living whip. The pulsing power of energy being summoned from deep within the body.

Flashback....

"SHOTGUN!!"

The blinding blast of spiritual energy lit up the darkened forest. As she crouched with her friend, the only other female there, within the bushes a safe distance away, she felt a chill race down her spine when a sinister chuckle sounded from behind.

"Thinking you could hide.... how impeccable."

There was a distinctly sinister aura that hung in the air, seeming to surround them where they hid. Slowly, the two girls turned from where they had been anxiously observing the ongoing battle in the forest clearing. With a cruel turn of the upper lip, the figure that stood behind them smirked in amusement. With swift movement, the other girl grabbed her friend's school uniform by the shoulder, yanking her from her squatting position as they both bolted through the shrubs and out into the open space.

"Yes, run little ones, run..." came the taunt from within the bush. "It's always more fun when you've got moving targets..."

The slender figure moved forward, in order to take better aim. It then raised a deceptively delicate hand, which suddenly glowed an abnormal red as energy formed around it. At the same time, on the other side of the clearing, another demon observed the scene with equally evil intentions towards the escaping girls.

'It's been too long... Where's the fun in letting the first prey in years get away?' Blue light formed, building up at a rapid pace, until finally, it was unleashed. Unconsciously in sync with the red energy that now streaked toward the intended targets. With the instinct of the hunted, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stand on end. They were running through thick underbrush, with little room for changing course.

"Gaaaah!!"

In a heartbeat, the two bodies were encased in an ever intertwining red and blue managerie which grew bolder and bolder in color until finally, nothing could be seen within. It was then that the others took notice of what was happening...

"KEIKO!! BOTAN!! NOOO!!!"

End flashback....

"Nngh..." With some difficulty, Keiko Yukimura struggled to right herself, despite the pain it caused.

'What happened?' She thought, momentarily clutching her head as a sharp jolting pain shot through it. 'Where am I... Where are the others?'

"Yu- Yusuke?"

Silence.

"Kurama? Hiei?"

More silence.

"Kuwa...bara?"

Keiko whimpered when still, no one answered. And then....

"Ugh... where in the three worlds are we...?" A usually chipper voice asked, vocalizing Keiko previous thoughts.

"B-Botan!" With a relieved sigh, Keiko sought out her friend in the darkness. "Are you alright?"

Botan moaned as she straightened herself into a sitting position. "I've been better, Keiko, that's for sure. I must confess, my paranoia levels are going through the roof! There's a shadow behind every tree, and some of them are moving..." Botan laughed nervously.

"Let's stay together, Botan," Keiko whispered. She winced at the other's laughter, amplified to ecohing through the trees.

"Yes, of course, Keiko." Botan replied, sensing the other girl's fear, which mirrored her own. "But... first things first. What say we get you healed, ne?" The blue haired ferry girl nodded to the scrapes, bruises and deep gashes that she could now make out due to the close proximity.

Botan concentrated her spirit energy into the palm of her hands which she held over Keiko's body and began the slow process of healing each and every wound. Though she felt slightly drained afterwards, Botan managed a smile when she had finished and looked over her handy work.

"There you go, good as new!"

"Thanks, Botan, I feel much better now." Keiko replied, returning her friend's smile as they both rose to their feet. They decided to follow the stars. Some very few branches obscured the night sky, and hopefully Orion could be trusted to guide them... somewhere, out of the woods.

"Do you think Yusuke will come and save us," Keiko wondered. "He always did have lucky timing."

"Or maybe it was you who had the luck, being rescued all those times..."

"Speak for yourself."

Suddenly, the conversation stopped dead. As did Keiko.

"Keiko? What's the matter?" Botan questioned, not sure why her companion had stopped so suddenly.

Keiko turned, her eyes searching the surrounding darkness in vain. "I felt... something move past me just now. Very fast. Like a thing... or m-maybe a person?"

Botan arched an eyebrow, right before something hard hit her square in the forehead. "Ouch!" she cried, bringing up both hands to cover the small bump before looking down to see what had hit her.

Reaching down, Botan retrieved an object lying harmlessly in the dirt. There wasn't enough light to see by, so she palmed the object and looked back at her obviously worried friend. The forest was an enveloping, dark mass. All the stars had been covered by ill-fated clouds. However, when another of those things-people ran past Keiko's other leg--this time closer--self preservation instinct kicked in. Keiko ran, and--dragged along with her--Botan did as well.

"What in the three worlds is going on," Botan couldn't help protesting, "Is there a stampede or something??!!" Her hands clenched, and she could feel the chain. 'It must be a necklace,' She decided as she continued to run.

"Can you hear it?" Keiko said wildy, and Botan felt her back stiffen with dread. For a time, all they had been able to hear were the sound of breaking branches and breathing, the sound of twigs snapping beneath their feet. But now...

"Those are most definitely howls. No doubt about it, Keiko. Hunting animals. There's a hunt going on." Botan confirmed, her worry tangible in her voice.

"So, who is the prey?" Keiko huffed, the exertion of their sprint taking its toll.

"I'm hoping we won't have to find out, Keiko." Botan replied just as breathless.

Even squinting, the ferry girl could barely see a few feet in front of her. She was surprised that Keiko, who had been in the lead this entire time, hadn't run them both into a tree by now. But somehow the lithe brunette seemed to be dodging them quite easily.

Together, they lunged through some shrubs, hoping that some refuge would be present beyond. A clearing. Gasping, they first saw nothing but moonlight. So they stopped, unable to run any further due to the lack of oxygen left within their weary bodies.

"Maybe if we hide..." came Botan's floundering words.

A vicious sound pierced the darkness, as well as their frantically beating hearts.

Keiko shook her head. "It's no use.. They'll find us. We've gotta keep running."

But the moonlight was still pulsing like a heartbeat behind their eyes. Although, less so, now. Botan could see her jewel weakly pulsing as well, as if responding. Despite their exhaustion, and the earth trembling beneath their feet, the girls turned sharply to flee again. And found an impediment in the treeless clearing. Two, actually.

Before Botan could push past this dark, shapeless obstacle, it grabbed her by the hand, and threw her over something bony... and... shoulder shaped.

'Oh God.'

"Wha-?" Keiko's voice rang out, as she made out a shadow hoisting Botan up like a sack of potatoes. "P-put her down!!" She rushed forward, her open palm flying out in order to slap Botan's assailant, only to feel herself being snatched up in the same manner as her friend had been.

Illiciting a small squeak, Keiko felt her stomach do flip flops as she felt the world begin to pass by at an incredible rate of speed. The howls and cries of the hunters that had been growing closer by the second, soon began to fade slowly before finally disappearing altogether.

Botan wasn't sure whether to scream, attack--if that was even possible--or just stay where she was. After all, she didn't know this person, who had come out of the forest and practically kidnapped her. On the other hand, the hunters were getting further away. And maybe her captor was taking them out of the forest.

Mindless terror subsiding, she began to examine her captor--or rescuer--whichever the case may be. The figure carrying her had long, dark hair and strangely shaped ears. She could also feel wings; bird like wings. Heart sank nervously, trying to remember if whether bat demons were violent, and just how he had gotten a hold of her necklace.

Meanwhile, Keiko was wiggling herself. Trying to make an assessment of her own, she placed her hands on the back of her abductor, pushing up in order to gain leverage so that she could make a better observation. The muscles beneath her hand flexed as the figure continued running, not even bothering to acknowlege that their cargo was trying to get away. The moonlight that still filtered down upon them glinted off of the hair of figure that held Keiko, allowing her to glimpse shimmering silver tendrils that flowed behind them in the breeze. Pushing herself up even more, Keiko's eyes widened as something soft and fuzzy brushed her cheek. Turning her head slightly, she gasped when she saw an ear. Not human either, Keiko noted, but a fox's ear.

'Oh. My. God.'~*~

TBC...